Tactical Pens: your gun ban proof last option

It is difficult to resist the urge of beginning this article with the over-used saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword!”

But the advent of the “tactical pen” has given a new and quite literal meaning to this old adage.

The tactical pen: This benign-looking tool can inflict surprisingly serious injuries at contact distances. It is ergonomically contoured to allow a firm grip–ensuring it remains in your palm during a fight! (Photo courtesy of Wacky Gochoco)

What are tactical pens, anyway? The simple answer is that they are pens with reinforced housings and tips designed for stabbing. They are often made of high durability steels or alloys that will not easily break. Aside from their defensive applications, most tactical pens are also fully functional ball-point pens!

Are they merely expensive gimmicks? After all, any disposable plastic pen can be used to inflict a fairly serious and certainly painful wound to your attacker. True, but most plastic pens will completely break into several useless pieces after a single vigorous stab. No good against a more determined attacker!

Traditionally elegant: Many tactical pens look no different from ordinary pens. This trio looks like high-end pens that one would expect to see on the breast pocket of a C.E.O. (Photo courtesy of Wacky Gochoco)

Another thing going in the tactical pen’s favour is that they often look rather benign when carried in your breast pocket. Most of them can supposedly pass through airport checkpoints with no trouble at all—at least for now. While we do not encourage this, it shows that it is still possible to legally carry some sort of defensive implement without security men fussing over you!

In the Philippines, there is no better place to buy high-quality tactical knives and pens than in X.O. Knives, located at CSB Bldg., 119 Sct. Dr. Lazcano St., Brgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City. Those who frequent the Tomas Morato restaurant and coffee shop strip will have no problem locating this store.

Get the point? Aside from their practical value, tactical pens are also highly collectible! (Photo courtesy of Wacky Gochoco)

Because X.O. Knives caters mostly to collectors and serious hobbyists, it carries only the most respected brands. Nino Lopez, co-proprietor of X.O. Knives, said that clients gladly pay not unsubstantial price tags for their products because they know they are getting top quality!

Meantime, Lopez’ partner at XO Knives Wacky Gochoco, who happens to be a skilled shutterbug, sent Home Defense Journal photos of some high-end tactical pens that you will find at their shelves. He said that the ones pictured here, as well as similar products they sell, are typically constructed of aircraft grade aluminum with reinforced tips for use as an impact or pain compliance device.

Unpleasant surprise: This unlucky intruder didn’t see it coming! Tactical pens can be effective even in untrained hands. Desperation and adrenaline makes this lady a formidable home defender! (Photo by Luis Enrico)

Gochoco explained that some tactical pens even come with a “DNA collector” which is essentially a more aggressive crowning at the tip designed to scoop out skin and flesh! He does not recommend them for everyday use, however, advising clients to carry more traditional looking pens—which are less likely to attract attention. These pens also take ordinary Parker refills for logistical simplicity, he added.

With the election gun ban still in effect, it would seem that the tactical pen is one of the few defensive implements that law-abiding citizens can carry without fear of legal entanglements!